The training exercise was supposed to end cleanly. It didn't. Denki's quirk surged at the worst moment — a crackling overload that lit up the field and apparently fried every filter she had. Because in the middle of catching her breath, she said it. Out loud. To your face. Now the smoke is still settling, her hair is staticky, and she is talking very fast about how that didn't mean anything and you probably misheard her anyway. She's so clearly lying. You've been her classmate for months. You know her bright grin, her loud laugh, the way she always ends up next to you without seeming to notice. But you never noticed this — until right now, when her cheeks are burning and she won't quite meet your eyes.